Prelude 2 A Kiss
by Milano
Summary: Voldemort suddenly isn't the only bully Harry and Co have to worry about. Now everyone is in danger. Not all for one reason though.
1. Potions

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the setting. J.K Rowling does though, so if you want to buy them talk to her.  
  
A/N: This just popped into my head when I saw a movie with the same title (it has nothing to do w/the movie cuz I only saw the title not the actual movie). You don't have to like it because I'm writing it for my own enjoyment. Please review it if you read it. Thanks!!!!  
  
Prelude to a Kiss  
  
Another day in boring Potions class, Ginny Weasley thought irritably, another day with Snape taking away points first thing in the morning. Oh joy.  
  
"Gin, wait up!!!" Vanessa Johnston, one of Ginny's best friend, called as she ran to catch up with Ginny's long strides.  
  
"You're so slow, Essa," Chloe Estron, Ginny's other best friend, told Vanessa (or Essa as everyone affectionately called her). Chloe and Vanessa were probably the most different friends Ginny could have. Chloe, standing at 6'0" was the tallest girl in Gryffindor, had dark mocha skin which had never been introduced to acne, extremely dark brown hair that cascaded in waves down her back, bright chocolate eyes that were framed with gorgeous lashes that never had felt the coarse brush of mascara, and lips a soft shade of pink that always had gloss over them, was a natural beauty.  
  
Vanessa on the other hand, worked for her looks. When you're 5'2" you have to work to be noticed. As a dishwater blonde girl with, dull blue eyes, a pale complexion red in places from a recent fight with pimples, and lips that you can't remember what color they are since you wear so much lipstick, she tried hard to be noticed. She probably had bought out half of the stock of L'oreal Witching make-up in Hogsmeade.  
  
"It's not my fault I have short legs,"Vanessa pouted as she caught up with her friends as they walked through the Potions' dungeon's door. Ginny rolled her eyes. Her friends were hopeless.  
  
"Hey, guys-" Ginny started remembering something Professor Snape had said last Thursday.  
  
"Good morning, class. I'm sure you all remember that today you will be having our Seventh year top Potions student helping us with our Impervious potion. Remember this potion is worth 70% of your grade this quarter so I advise you not to fail," Professor Snape interrupted Ginny. He did have the perfect right to, though.  
  
Cool, Hermione is going to help us, Ginny thought automatically when he said "top student". Ginny was fairly was surprised when Hermione did not come strolling into the room but a tall platinum blonde boy did.  
  
"Oh, Lord," Vanessa hissed.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Gotta agree with you, Essa," Chloe whispered.  
  
"You guys, shut up," Ginny breathed. She watched as almost all the females' eyebrows shot up with an approving look in their eyes as the boy leaned on Snape's desk with a nonchalant look.  
  
"Draco, start the potion, please," Snape said glancing back at the boy.  
  
"Yes, Professor," he nodded as he traveled to the cupboard to gather the ingredients. Ginny saw her friends smirk as he bent over to get something from the bottom shelf. She rolled her eyes at their antics. She knew she had heard the name Draco before, but she couldn't remember where.  
  
"ALL STAFF PLEASE REPORT TO THE STAFF WING FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING!!!!" Professor Dumbledore's magnified voice reverberated in the dungeon.  
  
"Now what? Draco, take over and explain its properties," Snape yelled as he strode out of the room with his black robes billowing out like a cape.  
  
"Me??" Draco asked with a disbelieving face at Snape's retreating back. "All right I guess he did mean me. Draco's not a very common name is it?" he asked himself. "All right. Was anyone paying enough attention to hear the ingredients? Because you really need that information to pass this." Half of the female populations' hands went up.  
  
"Yes, you. The girl who could pass for Tyra Banks, name two," Draco said pointing at Chloe.  
  
"Dragon's Blood and Vampire fangs, two of them," Chloe said with a smug look in her eyes.  
  
"Wrong. Anyone actually paying attention to Professor Snape while he was talking instead of me of watching me?" he asked. All of the hands went down except for Ginny's.  
  
"Yes? Oh that figures. You're Weasley's little sister, correct?" He asked with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows raised.  
  
"Yes, I am Ron's sister. The ingredients are: Vampire blood, Dragon fangs, dried Mandrake root, Dragon scales, Hippogriff talons, a Phoenix feather, Herigton fruit, and Pheonix tears," Ginny said in a monotone.  
  
"Very nice. Five points if you can tell me what kind of dragon the ingredients are from," Draco said.  
  
"Antipedean Opaleye," Ginny replied.  
  
"Five points to Gryffindor. It really is a shame, in the easiest subject for them to ace, Slytherins are bested by Gryffindors. What a pity," he said with a contemptuous look at the Slytherins, "And to think that in half a year this will be the next graduating class of Slytherins."  
  
"That's not very nice," Vanessa burst out.  
  
"Well, I'm not a nice person. Five points from Gryffindor for mouthing off," Draco said with with an amused glare at Essa.  
  
"But-" she said.  
  
"A further five points," Draco interrupted, "for mouthing off again. Once not enough?" Essa sat fuming.  
  
"Still think he's cute?" Ginny whispered out of the side of her mouth.  
  
"Yeah," Essa pouted. Ginny sighed.  
  
"Anyone know what this potion's properties are?" Draco asked. The question hung in midair. "Anyone? No? All right, then, I'll tell you. This potion protects you against pain caused by anything other than magic. Like, say you're at a party and you end up insulting another guy's girlfriend so he decks you. You wouldn't feel it at all. Or if you just found out your cat died, you wouldn't feel the grief with this potion. Even if your girlfriend broke up with you there would be no heartache. It works wonders for hangovers. Also, to get away from reality. You still feel fear, hate, love and such but you don't feel anything that would cause pain as long as it isn't caused by magic. So if someone does the Crucatius curse you'll feel it."  
  
Ginny stared at him. He had said "to get away from reality", what did he mean by that? Ginny didn't have time to ponder this for he had continued talking.  
  
"Now I brewed this potion first when I was thirteen so I expect a bunch of sixteen year-olds who seem to be competent will be able to handle it," he finished.  
  
"You made this when you were thirteen??" Ginny asked in disbelief, "This is a highly advanced potion. How?"  
  
"You'd be amazed at the things you can do with a highly advanced reason to do them," was all he replied with. What kind of answer is that? Ginny thought, It doesn't give me a conclusion at all!!! "Please find a partner to work with and you may begin."  
  
"Ginny!" Vanessa and Chloe called out immediately. They glared at each other automatically. Ginny sighed.  
  
"Guys, you have fifteen seconds to figure out who I'm being partners with or I'm working alone," Ginny stated.  
  
"You can't," Essa pointed out.  
  
"Oy!!! You, Draco or whatever, can I work alone?" Ginny called out.  
  
"If you think your friends can handle it, yes," he replied with a smirk, "You are the second highest scorer recently on the Torpedous potion you made last year so I hope you can handle this." Ginny smirked also.  
  
"I'm not sure they can handle it," she said glancing at her friends, who were having a heated argument. Ginny also many other people fighting.  
  
"Oh, Lord," Draco muttered,"All right, change of plans! I'll chose your partners. Okay, Miss Johnston and Miss Estron. Mr. Frinck and Mr. Retrox. Miss Weasley and Mr. Creevey," he continued down the line no longer muttering. Ginny moved her stuff and herself over to Colin Creevey's table.  
  
"Hey, Ginny. I'm glad I get to work with the best Potions student in our class instead of some completely daft Slytherin," Colin said as Ginny sat down, "It's also cool I get to work with one of my friends."  
  
"Yeah. Hi, Colin," Ginny nodded as she sat down. She did have to admit that working with one of her less close friends was better than working with a complete stranger. Ginny set out all of the ingredients they would need. She just about the last ingredient when Professor Snape walked back into the dungeon.  
  
"Draco, may I see you for a minute?" Snape asked with a far away look on his face.  
  
"Yes," Draco replied as he looked up from helping two Slytherins. He followed him out of the room.  
  
"Wonder what that was about?" Colin pondered to no one in particular.  
  
"Dunno," Ginny answered turning back to their potion. She just added the last part of the recipe when Professor Snape walked back into the room followed by a crestfallen looking Draco Malfoy. Draco sat down immediately when he came to a chair.  
  
"Students, I have the extremely unpleasant job of informing you of an attack that occurred last night," Snape said looking devastated, "The people that were attacked were: Paprika Patil, Ruby Brown, Mya Zabini, Emily Baddock, Violet Parkinson, Celeste Chang, Gertrude Midgen, Narcissa Malfoy, and Molly Weasley," he paused to let this horrible information sink in, "Four out of these women are dead, the rest in critical condition at St. Mungo's."  
  
"Who died?" Ginny asked once she found her tongue. Her mother could not be dead......  
  
Professor Snape looked sympathetically around the room.  
  
"The women who died are: Mya Zabini, Violet Parkinson," he hesitated as he took a deep breath, "Narcissa Malfoy and......." He looked as if he was having an internal battle on whether or not to tell the last name. This can not be good, Ginny thought. Dear God if you pity me and my family at all don't let my mother be dead, please, please, Ginny begged mentally as she raised her eyes to the ceiling and put her hands together. "Molly Weasley," Snape whispered in a barely audible voice. Ginny's jaw dropped as she let out a choked cry of sorrow.  
  
"No, No, No!!!" she gasped in between sobs. It can't be true, it can't be, she thought desperately.  
  
My mother, the woman who watched me and my brothers grow up; the woman who told us bedtime stories; the woman who helped me through my first year at Hogwarts; the woman who explained everything from boys to periods to me; the woman who kissed us goodnight everyday when we were home; the woman who embarrassed me in front of everyone when I had my first boyfriend(she did that to all of them); the woman who I loved too much to be expressed in words, could not be gone forever. Ginny sobbed so hard that Vanessa and Chloe burst into tears too. They rushed over to her and hugged her enormously.  
  
"Oh, God, Ginny, I'm so so so sooooo so sorry!!" Essa choked out.  
  
"It isn't fair, your mom didn't do anything to anyone, why?" Chloe stuttered through streams of tears.  
  
"Virginia, if you want to go find your brother go right ahead. Draco, if you too want to go to you dormitory or go find your friends you may also," Snape offered in complete empathy. Ginny nodded and walked out of the room toward Gryffindor Tower.  
  
"Weasley, I'm sorry. Tell your brother sorry for me too, all right," Draco said as he walked out after Ginny only to turn toward the Slytherin Dungeon.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry if no one liked it. I'm going to write the next chapter anyway. If you did take the time to read this please review it. Remember flames will only be put to use on your own little waiting rooms while Lucifer has other clients. Ciao!!  
  
a/n 2: Yall might know that this story appeared under the pen name jace. Well that's Milano now. I've changed a lot in a year. We got a new internet provider so I had to re-register. U might want to remember the name Milano too. It's going to be famous one day since I'm going to be the biggest white rapper since the wonderful, talented, dead sexy, off the hook, (rambles on some more) Eminem. Love Y'all! "People, it feels so good to b back!" IM me if u have a question or comment or something that is urgent on AIM at badKNABH5 you've got to tell me who you are though. I ain't playing any guessing games, 


	2. Announcements

Disclaimer: This verse same as the first. I don't own the song Amazing Grace I don't kno who does. Pink owns Family Portrait. This was written way b4 she released it as a single so don't get ur panties all in a bunch.  
  
Prelude to a Kiss  
  
Ginny walked to Gryffindor Tower with silent tears streaming down her face. She wiped at the tears with the back of her hand.  
  
"Be strong for her, she wouldn't want you to bawl, she wants you to be happy all the time," she whispered knowing she wouldn't be able to stop herself from sobbing. Why? was the thought that raced through her brain over and over again, Why?  
  
She reached the portrait of the Fat Lady finally. She didn't even have to say the password. The Fat Lady took one look at her with the Weasley hair and tears running down her face ruining her mascara to know something awful had happened. She stepped through the portrait to see Ron with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger sitting by the fire laughing. She didn't want to have to tell them about this and ruin their whole day when they looked so content but they deserved to know and she needed a shoulder to cry on. She slumped over to where they were.  
  
"Hey, Gin," Ron said before looking at his sister's face. "God, Ginny, what happened?" Ron asked his voice full of concern for his little sister. She broke down and started crying on his shoulder as she hugged him. He patted her back awkwardly trying to comfort her. Hermione and Harry stared at her with surprise and concern. Ginny was a strong girl who usually never cried but now she was in danger of soaking her robes for good. "What is it, Gin?" Ron asked again.  
  
"Mum..... She........She," Ginny choked out. How could she say it? "She's..... she's gone!" she broke into fresh sobs.  
  
"What do you mean?" Ron asked looking dubious but serious.  
  
"She was attacked last night and killed," Ginny sobbed. Ron's strength suddenly gave out. He slumped down in his chair.  
  
"What?" he gasped. Ginny nodded still bawling as the look on her brother's face stabbed her already broken heart. His mouth was opening and closing like he was a goldfish. "What?" he gasped again, "She can't be dead. She can't be!" Ginny was crying too hard to reply as Hermione broke down in tears as she rushed to hug Ron.  
  
"I'm sorry......I'm sorry.... God, I am so sorry," she kept whispering into his shoulder. Harry was staring into space with a dead and blank look on his face. He shook his head in disgust. He mumbled under his breath before slumping back in his chair and sighing. Ginny glanced at him. His miraculous green eyes looked so devastated.  
  
"Harry," Ginny started but she never got to finish.  
  
"It's my fault," he stated. They all looked at him sobs escaping their throats as they opened their mouths and gawked. "If you and Ginny weren't my friends, she wouldn't have been attacked by Voldemort," he explained.  
  
"Harry, wait," Ginny sobbed. "Voldemort wasn't the attacker."  
  
"How do you know that?" he asked his green eyes ablaze.  
  
"Because Narcissa Malfoy and three other Slytherin mothers were killed. More women were attacked too and they were all pureblooded witches. So it couldn't have been Voldemort," Ginny choked out.  
  
"Not Voldemort? Who was it then?" Ron asked furiously. Ginny shrugged as Hermione tried to calm him down. Hermione whispered something to him and his face softened a tiny bit.  
  
"They probably don't know yet, right?" Hermione stated as a question. Ron nodded. Harry opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Professor McGonagall.  
  
"All students please report to the Great Hall," she announced through tears. The four students got up and trudged to the Great Hall, Hermione and Ron hanging on each other and Ginny crying onto Harry's shoulder.  
  
* * *  
  
As they entered the Great Hall a wave of sadness hit them. Cries of grief were heard from every table. The Slytherin table was crying silently except for a few students who were screaming nearly in misery. As they took their seats at the Gryffindor table they looked at the devastation of the whole population. People were coming up to Ron and Ginny and bawling their apologies. The only thing they could do was cry in response.  
  
Professor Dumbledore stood, silent tears streaming down his face. "As you all know, the mothers of some students and some past students were attacked last night. Four of these women were killed. Paprika Patil, Ruby Brown, Mya Zabini, Emily Baddock, Violet Parkinson, Celeste Chang, Gertrude Midgen, Narcissa Malfoy, and Molly Weasley were all attacked, Mrs. Malfoy, Mrs. Parkinson, Mrs. Weasley, and Mrs. Zabini were all killed. As some of you have probably figured out this was not an attack committed by Voldemort," he told them. Some exasperated sighs were heard from the Slytherins at the last comment.  
  
"They all are in Voldemort's circle they already knew that," Ron explained his theory. Dumbledore's eyebrows rose as he heard the sighs.  
  
"Why the sighing? An explanation from someone please?  
  
"Well, you should all know we weren't sighing because, contrary to popular belief most of us are not cold-blooded, evil death eaters but because if it had been Voldemort he wouldn't have attacked old wizarding families, considering the whole world knows he hates muggles and muggle borns," Draco stood and explained not missing a beat. "Unless you forgot that tid bit of information."  
  
"Thank you for the wonderful explanation, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore nodded. Draco was still standing surveying the hall in contempt. "Something else you wish to discuss, Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
"Yes, actually Professor there is. Everyone assumes that because I am a Slytherin and a Malfoy that I am a death eater. Everyone acts like Slytherins hate everyone else when everyone else hates Slytherins. You all act like we are the bad guys who hate everyone and everything that isn't like us when it's the exact opposite. You would act cold too, if everyone hated your very essence, wouldn't you? You dislike people who dislike you so why aren't we allowed the same right? You dislike us," he explained like it was obvious. Every person in the Great Hall except for Dumbledore had their mouth open and was gawking. A singular person at the Slytherin table was clapping. Soon the whole table was applauding him.  
  
"Stop!" he shouted, "My mother has been murdered, I am severely hacked off at the world in general, and I have a horrible migraine so please shut up with the god-damned clapping!" They all stopped immediately. Chloe's eyebrows shot up as she looked at Ginny and Essa with a surprised look. They both shrugged with mascara running down their faces.  
  
"We are sorry Mr. Malfoy, but it was a very good speech. I would now like a moment of silence in memory of the women who lost their lives," Dumbledore said. The hall grew silent, until one voice could be heard.  
  
"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. To save a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I'm found; was blind but now I see. Was blind but know I see," the voice rang with emotional power. That one solitary voice was soon joined by others in a chorus that would have made anyone have to dry their eyes.  
  
"Mama please stop cryin', I can't stand the sound," a voice sang, heard over every other one in the Great Hall. It was Draco's. "Your pain is painful and it's tearin' me down. I hear glasses breakin' as I sit up in my bed, I told Dad you didn't mean those nasty things you said. You fight about money-"  
  
"'Bout me and my brother," a different, female voice cried out.  
  
"And this I come home to, this is my shelter," Draco continued in a raw voice. Half of Slytherin house joined in for the chorus. So did many other students.  
  
"It ain't easy growin up in World War three, never knowin' what love could, you see, I don't want love to destroy me like it has done my family. Can we work it out? Can we be a family? Promise I'll be better. Mommy, I'll do anything. Can we work it out? Can we be a family? Promise I'll be better. Daddy please don't leave." Several voices turned into sobs and the rest of the song was broke up into cries of grief and madness. Professor Dumbledore was standing once more, his hands held up to calm the crowd so he would have time to speak.  
  
"Classes are canceled for the rest of the week, and please do not let this grief kill you, you shall all survive this horrible ordeal even if it seems you shall not at the moment. I send my condolences to all of you and hope you shall find some comfort some how today. You are free to go where ever you wish within the normal limits now," said the old, sympathetic headmaster. After this was said, it seemed there was a rush to the doors of the Great Hall. Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were the only Gryffindors still sitting at the table within a minute of the announcement. The only other student still at their dining table was a Draco Malfoy who looked like nothing would wake him from his sadness stricken state.  
  
Before leaving the rest of their classmates had offered the Weasleys their pity. Many people had tried to tell Malfoy of their apologies but didn't even get a nod of his head so they had given up. His grey eyes that were usually ablaze with loathing were blank and empty; much like Harry's looked at the moment. Hermione suddenly looked up from her shocked staring at the woodwork of the table. She glanced over at Draco before she stood up and walked over to the Slytherin.  
  
"Malfoy?" She asked hesitantly. He stared blankly past her for a few seconds before responding.  
  
"What is it, Granger?" he sighed. He glanced up at her, moving so the side of his face, not his forehead, was resting against his hand.  
  
"I'm sorry. For everything; what I've said or done to you to hurt you in the past six and a half years, but mostly I'm sorry for being prejudice against you. Just because you're a Slytherin and a Malfoy doesn't mean you can't be a good person and I'm sorry for not realizing it until now," she told him in the most sincere voice she possessed. "Dumbledore was right three years ago when he said we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Having said that," she held out her hand. "Truce." Draco stared up at her with his calculating glare to see if she was lying. She looked like she was being perfectly honest but Draco was brought up to not trust anyone and he told her so.  
  
"You were also taught to believe that wizards with muggle parentage aren't worth the ground you walk on, but Hermione was the first one of us to attempt to apologize so that shows the utter bull of what you were taught," Harry pointed out when he reached the table where the current exchange was happening. Ginny and Ron had followed him.  
  
"And weren't you also taught that Weasleys aren't half the wizards Malfoys are? But this morning you told me yourself in Potions that I was the second highest scorer on a recent potion, second only to you," Ginny also pointed out. Draco smirked at this comment, which surprised the other four, considering smirking is not one of the regular actions of someone who's mother has just been killed.  
  
"Yes, but you missed the part where I scored 350% on that potion and you scored a 106%. Technically that part of my upbringing is correct," his smirk faltered at the menacing look the Gryffindors were giving him. "At least in this scenario," he amended.  
  
Ron sighed. "You just don't quit defending your family do you, Malfoy?"  
  
Draco smiled up at him, not smirked but actually smiled. No one at Hogwarts had ever seen him do that and something hardly anyone on the earth had seen him do. "No, Weasley, no I don't."  
  
A/N: You like? I know the singing was a bit corny but, that song fits Draco's homelife (it did at least, until I read PriestessofAvalon's fic Nemo Me Impune Lacessit, go to www.schnoogle.com and check it out. Best Draco fic ever also, check out anything by Cassandra Claire if you go there, she's the Goddess of fanfiction *Hugs the Holy Trilogy for its greatness* Most of u have probably already read it. It's like a modern day classic. Lol (I wish I was her...) and many of the slytherin's in my mind. Now you're all probably thinking this could turn horribly cliched and they would all be great friends now; they won't be. Draco and Ron will always hate each other in my worlds. Hermione has caused Draco to much emotional stress to actually not resent her a tiny bit, so there will be that and all these changes will not be immediate. Thank you so much for reading this and if you did please tell me what you think of this...If you want to be really nice check out some of my other fics and tell me what you think. I love you all. 


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